Des Moines once again gets an American Hockey League team...

[jag42]

Wishing Omaha would get American Hockey League back....




http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... 3304220071

[Brad]

Great for DesMoins!

[MadMartin8]

After the debacle of the last AHL team in Omaha, I doubt we ever get another shot...which is a shame. If they had competent people running it, it could have been huge.

[skinzfan23]

Des Moines also has a D-League NBA team and they play in the Wells Fargo Arena, which holds 16,000 and I think they average around 2,000.  I am sure that their AHL hockey won't do a ton better.  Sure it will the first year, but like Omaha the new-ness will probably wear off.  Besides Omaha already has a USHL team and a Division I hockey team.

[twiztid1]

Des Moines historically hasn't drawn all that well for hockey, and I don't see anything that would make this time any different.  

It actually wouldn't surprise me if MECA goes after an AHL team and lands one once UNO vacates the CenturyLink.  I'd still prefer the competition and stability of the college game though.

[cp jay 07]

After the debacle of the last AHL team in Omaha, I doubt we ever get another shot...which is a shame. If they had competent people running it, it could have been huge.

Yeah because two past AHL failures is better than one.  :roll:

This whole move is a joke to begin with, Houston getting kicked out of their arena when they averaged decent numbers is a joke and then they move them to Des Moines who has not only failed once but twice with AHL franchises.

Hopefully we get one more shot as well, Ren had the team moving in the right direction the last year, the first year was a debacle I agree but the final season we won the divison and was top 5 playoff attendance I believe and attendance was actually climbing towards the end of the year.

In a couple years MECA will be looking for another winter tenant with UNO moving out, who knows what could happen if the AHL team actually gets in the Clink instead of the Civic, they could make some noise.

I think if they have the right ownership group (Ren did a great job in 06'07 season) they could really turn some heads and make pro hockey a staple again in Omaha.

[cp jay 07]

I'd still prefer the competition and stability of the college game though.

I'm sorry twiztid, I know to each his own but WHY!?!?

I never got the whole I a huge fan of one sport but I don't like watching some of the best talent around, I would rather watch college.

And I for one cannot stand NCAA hockey where it seems like they try to change the game itself, I like watching Jr's but will skip the college game and watch pro hockey.

[S33]

I never got the whole I a huge fan of one sport but I don't like watching some of the best talent around, I would rather watch college.

Can you honestly say the NFL is more entertaining than college?

[cp jay 07]

I never got the whole I a huge fan of one sport but I don't like watching some of the best talent around, I would rather watch college.

Can you honestly say the NFL is more entertaining than college?

I don't know if this is sarcasm or serious? I am hoping for sarcasm.

[Linkin5]

I never got the whole I a huge fan of one sport but I don't like watching some of the best talent around, I would rather watch college.

Can you honestly say the NFL is more entertaining than college?

I don't know if this is sarcasm or serious? I am hoping for sarcasm.

I personally think NCAA is way more exciting than NFL, thats just me though.

[S33]

Yeah, I wasn't being sarcastic. The NFL, for me, is like popping an Ambien. Maybe it's because we don't have a local market team, idk.

[twiztid1]

I'd still prefer the competition and stability of the college game though.

I'm sorry twiztid, I know to each his own but WHY!?!?

I never got the whole I a huge fan of one sport but I don't like watching some of the best talent around, I would rather watch college.

And I for one cannot stand NCAA hockey where it seems like they try to change the game itself, I like watching Jr's but will skip the college game and watch pro hockey.

The biggest reason for me is the competition.  Winning is the main goal of college (and junior) hockey.  That factor creates the passion and loyalty that I love about our amateur sports.   That's just not the case with the farm system.  Your local minor league team is only as good as the parent team allows it to be.  And the big club doesn't care when they need an affiliate brought up.

I'd attend AHL games again if Omaha gets another team.  It's great hockey.  But I would still find it much less enjoyable to be a fan.  I never even really cared if the Knights won or lost.  I've always found it tough to be a fan of minor league teams as the players' biggest competition are their own teammates.

[Greg S]

I would love having an AHL team again.  I go to most UNO games as well.  But look at UNO's schedule for next year, they go weeks between home games. This seems to happen every year.   I'd love to fill that time with an AHL game.

Lancer's are OK but I think they've totally out priced themselves when in Ralston.  On game nights the cheapest tickets are $20 for adults.  Unfortunately they don't have much choice because they don't receive any money from concessions based on their lease.

The quality of the AHL is 2nd only to the NHL, it was great watching all of the now NHL players roll through Omaha in the 2 years the Knights were here.

Ren and Co were doing wonders in year 2.  Too bad the ownership group in the  Quad Cities panicked and threw money at the Flames.

I will definitely make the trip to Des Moines for a few games.

Greg

[cp jay 07]

The biggest reason for me is the competition.  Winning is the main goal of college (and junior) hockey.  That factor creates the passion and loyalty that I love about our amateur sports.   That's just not the case with the farm system.  Your local minor league team is only as good as the parent team allows it to be.  And the big club doesn't care when they need an affiliate brought up.

I'd attend AHL games again if Omaha gets another team.  It's great hockey.  But I would still find it much less enjoyable to be a fan.  I never even really cared if the Knights won or lost.  I've always found it tough to be a fan of minor league teams as the players' biggest competition are their own teammates.

If you don't think the guys wanna win at any level then you just don't get sports, AHL,ECHL, NHL, at the end of the year they all play for a championship and I bet they wanna win it, not just just hope for a late season call up, also most affliated teams get a bonus for winning a league title so there is motivation there as well.

Greg put it best, these guys are a step below the NHL, most of the players in the AHL were the best players on their college team and they go out and try to win every night just like at any other level.

[twiztid1]

The biggest reason for me is the competition.  Winning is the main goal of college (and junior) hockey.  That factor creates the passion and loyalty that I love about our amateur sports.   That's just not the case with the farm system.  Your local minor league team is only as good as the parent team allows it to be.  And the big club doesn't care when they need an affiliate brought up.

I'd attend AHL games again if Omaha gets another team.  It's great hockey.  But I would still find it much less enjoyable to be a fan.  I never even really cared if the Knights won or lost.  I've always found it tough to be a fan of minor league teams as the players' biggest competition are their own teammates.

If you don't think the guys wanna win at any level then you just don't get sports, AHL,ECHL, NHL, at the end of the year they all play for a championship and I bet they wanna win it, not just just hope for a late season call up, also most affliated teams get a bonus for winning a league title so there is motivation there as well.

Greg put it best, these guys are a step below the NHL, most of the players in the AHL were the best players on their college team and they go out and try to win every night just like at any other level.

I never said guys don't want to win.  I said it's not the main goal of affiliated minor league sports.

[Greg S]

The hockey is just fantastic to watch in person though.  I really really miss it.

Greg

[jag42]

When the Omaha AkSarBen Knights were in town from 2005-07, for some reason, people did not understand that it was one level below the NHL....I went to about 15 games the 2 years the Knights were here...I agree, they were on the upswing the second year.  I'd love to have this level of hockey in Omaha again.

[twiztid1]

When the Omaha AkSarBen Knights were in town from 2005-07, for some reason, people did not understand that it was one level below the NHL....I went to about 15 games the 2 years the Knights were here...I agree, they were on the upswing the second year.  I'd love to have this level of hockey in Omaha again.

I never bought into that excuse.  The people who attend hockey games in Omaha are pretty informed about the sport.  UNO and Lancers fans follow the careers of former players which often includes the NHL and  AHL.

People who don't know the level of AHL hockey probably aren't going to attend many hockey games anyways.  If the local hockey fans really were that ignorant to begin with, it's unlikely they remained that way as the Knights spent a small fortune on advertising.

[jessep28]

The Charlestown Chiefs might still be for sale.

[youtube][/youtube]

[Greg S]

When the Omaha AkSarBen Knights were in town from 2005-07, for some reason, people did not understand that it was one level below the NHL....I went to about 15 games the 2 years the Knights were here...I agree, they were on the upswing the second year.  I'd love to have this level of hockey in Omaha again.

I never bought into that excuse.  The people who attend hockey games in Omaha are pretty informed about the sport.  UNO and Lancers fans follow the careers of former players which often includes the NHL and  AHL.

People who don't know the level of AHL hockey probably aren't going to attend many hockey games anyways.  If the local hockey fans really were that ignorant to begin with, it's unlikely they remained that way as the Knights spent a small fortune on advertising.

There was a lot of paranoia among Mav fans about the Knights. They were afraid that if too many fans turned to the Knights it would damage the Mavs.  Some of the real die hards were continually campaigning about anything negative they could come up with to get Mav fans to think negatively about the Knights.  I remember one poor soul trying to convince the fans that having the Knights in town would lead to more Mavs leaving early for the pros.

Greg

[cp jay 07]

There was a lot of paranoia among Mav fans about the Knights. They were afraid that if too many fans turned to the Knights it would damage the Mavs.  Some of the real die hards were continually campaigning about anything negative they could come up with to get Mav fans to think negatively about the Knights.  I remember one poor soul trying to convince the fans that having the Knights in town would lead to more Mavs leaving early for the pros.

Greg

THIS IS SPOT ON. And the reason I cannot stand most UNO hockey fans. When the Knights were in town the UNO fans would brag on Mav Puck (Which is one of the worst hockey message boards around) about how the Knights only drew 3,500 on a Wednesday and UNO drew 5,000 at the Clink on a Saturday, HA you showed them UNO fan.

I think I even saw a thread comparing the players and who would win between the Lancers, Mavs, and Knights, because you know they are not different levels or anything. Seeing UNO fans chase another hockey team away was really sad to see, especially when the Knights and Mavs rarely went up against eachother at the Box Office and UNO only plays Friday, Saturday, the Knights filled those weekend nights when UNO was out of town or those weeknights when UNO didn't play. I'm sure OSU fans are chasing the Blue Jackets away in Columbus, I have never heard a hockey fan, especially in Omaha say "There is to much hockey in this town" apparently UNO fan thought so.

Lets hope Omaha can get another shot and not blow it this time, the more I look at the AHL the more I realize there could be growth to the west of the Mississippi to cater to the west coast teams who have to get their prospects from the east coast to the west coast just for a call up.

[twiztid1]

There was a lot of paranoia among Mav fans about the Knights. They were afraid that if too many fans turned to the Knights it would damage the Mavs.  Some of the real die hards were continually campaigning about anything negative they could come up with to get Mav fans to think negatively about the Knights.  I remember one poor soul trying to convince the fans that having the Knights in town would lead to more Mavs leaving early for the pros.

Greg

THIS IS SPOT ON. And the reason I cannot stand most UNO hockey fans. When the Knights were in town the UNO fans would brag on Mav Puck (Which is one of the worst hockey message boards around) about how the Knights only drew 3,500 on a Wednesday and UNO drew 5,000 at the Clink on a Saturday, HA you showed them UNO fan.

I think I even saw a thread comparing the players and who would win between the Lancers, Mavs, and Knights, because you know they are not different levels or anything. Seeing UNO fans chase another hockey team away was really sad to see, especially when the Knights and Mavs rarely went up against eachother at the Box Office and UNO only plays Friday, Saturday, the Knights filled those weekend nights when UNO was out of town or those weeknights when UNO didn't play. I'm sure OSU fans are chasing the Blue Jackets away in Columbus, I have never heard a hockey fan, especially in Omaha say "There is to much hockey in this town" apparently UNO fan thought so.

Lets hope Omaha can get another shot and not blow it this time, the more I look at the AHL the more I realize there could be growth to the west of the Mississippi to cater to the west coast teams who have to get their prospects from the east coast to the west coast just for a call up.

UNO fans did not chase a hockey team away.  A lack of fans and businesses willing to pay for tickets and sponsorships killed the Knights.  While I think MavPuck can be a little extreme at times, a messageboard is hardly representative of an entire fanbase.  You're talking about maybe 15-20  posters out of thousands of UNO season ticket holders.

Knights fans also trashed UNO and the Lancers online for being inferior to the AHL and labeled Omaha as ignorant, but that doesn't mean Knights fans were trying to end the other two teams.  I still see Knights jerseys occasionally at UNO and Lancers games.  And let's not forget it was the Knights organization who came in with the divisive attitude to begin with though they did back off that campaign.

[Greg S]

There was a lot of paranoia among Mav fans about the Knights. They were afraid that if too many fans turned to the Knights it would damage the Mavs.  Some of the real die hards were continually campaigning about anything negative they could come up with to get Mav fans to think negatively about the Knights.  I remember one poor soul trying to convince the fans that having the Knights in town would lead to more Mavs leaving early for the pros.

Greg

THIS IS SPOT ON. And the reason I cannot stand most UNO hockey fans. When the Knights were in town the UNO fans would brag on Mav Puck (Which is one of the worst hockey message boards around) about how the Knights only drew 3,500 on a Wednesday and UNO drew 5,000 at the Clink on a Saturday, HA you showed them UNO fan.

I think I even saw a thread comparing the players and who would win between the Lancers, Mavs, and Knights, because you know they are not different levels or anything. Seeing UNO fans chase another hockey team away was really sad to see, especially when the Knights and Mavs rarely went up against eachother at the Box Office and UNO only plays Friday, Saturday, the Knights filled those weekend nights when UNO was out of town or those weeknights when UNO didn't play. I'm sure OSU fans are chasing the Blue Jackets away in Columbus, I have never heard a hockey fan, especially in Omaha say "There is to much hockey in this town" apparently UNO fan thought so.

Lets hope Omaha can get another shot and not blow it this time, the more I look at the AHL the more I realize there could be growth to the west of the Mississippi to cater to the west coast teams who have to get their prospects from the east coast to the west coast just for a call up.

UNO fans did not chase a hockey team away.  A lack of fans and businesses willing to pay for tickets and sponsorships killed the Knights.  While I think MavPuck can be a little extreme at times, a messageboard is hardly representative of an entire fanbase.  You're talking about maybe 15-20  posters out of thousands of UNO season ticket holders.

Knights fans also trashed UNO and the Lancers online for being inferior to the AHL and labeled Omaha as ignorant, but that doesn't mean Knights fans were trying to end the other two teams.  I still see Knights jerseys occasionally at UNO and Lancers games.  And let's not forget it was the Knights organization who came in with the divisive attitude to begin with though they did back off that campaign.

I was not really referring to MavPuck.  Some on there did, bit it was also some in the Red Army.  I also had friends that I play hockey with that were really really against the Knights just because they saw the Knights as a major threat to UNO.    There were a bunch of UNO fans that just flat out wanted the Knights to fail because UNO was already struggling with declining attendance and had been up and down in the win column.

The Knights were gaining ground in year 2.  They left because of the ownership in the Quad Cities panicked on the potential failure of their team and threw money at Calgary.

I do think there was a lot less Knights fans trashing UNO than the other way around.  

It was a head shaker though when some fans questioned who would win between the three.  Not even close on that one.

Greg

[twiztid1]

There was a lot of paranoia among Mav fans about the Knights. They were afraid that if too many fans turned to the Knights it would damage the Mavs.  Some of the real die hards were continually campaigning about anything negative they could come up with to get Mav fans to think negatively about the Knights.  I remember one poor soul trying to convince the fans that having the Knights in town would lead to more Mavs leaving early for the pros.

Greg

THIS IS SPOT ON. And the reason I cannot stand most UNO hockey fans. When the Knights were in town the UNO fans would brag on Mav Puck (Which is one of the worst hockey message boards around) about how the Knights only drew 3,500 on a Wednesday and UNO drew 5,000 at the Clink on a Saturday, HA you showed them UNO fan.

I think I even saw a thread comparing the players and who would win between the Lancers, Mavs, and Knights, because you know they are not different levels or anything. Seeing UNO fans chase another hockey team away was really sad to see, especially when the Knights and Mavs rarely went up against eachother at the Box Office and UNO only plays Friday, Saturday, the Knights filled those weekend nights when UNO was out of town or those weeknights when UNO didn't play. I'm sure OSU fans are chasing the Blue Jackets away in Columbus, I have never heard a hockey fan, especially in Omaha say "There is to much hockey in this town" apparently UNO fan thought so.

Lets hope Omaha can get another shot and not blow it this time, the more I look at the AHL the more I realize there could be growth to the west of the Mississippi to cater to the west coast teams who have to get their prospects from the east coast to the west coast just for a call up.

UNO fans did not chase a hockey team away.  A lack of fans and businesses willing to pay for tickets and sponsorships killed the Knights.  While I think MavPuck can be a little extreme at times, a messageboard is hardly representative of an entire fanbase.  You're talking about maybe 15-20  posters out of thousands of UNO season ticket holders.

Knights fans also trashed UNO and the Lancers online for being inferior to the AHL and labeled Omaha as ignorant, but that doesn't mean Knights fans were trying to end the other two teams.  I still see Knights jerseys occasionally at UNO and Lancers games.  And let's not forget it was the Knights organization who came in with the divisive attitude to begin with though they did back off that campaign.

I was not really referring to MavPuck.  Some on there did, bit it was also some in the Red Army.  I also had friends that I play hockey with that were really really against the Knights just because they saw the Knights as a major threat to UNO.    There were a bunch of UNO fans that just flat out wanted the Knights to fail because UNO was already struggling with declining attendance and had been up and down in the win column.

The Knights were gaining ground in year 2.  They left because of the ownership in the Quad Cities panicked on the potential failure of their team and threw money at Calgary.

I do think there was a lot less Knights fans trashing UNO than the other way around.  

It was a head shaker though when some fans questioned who would win between the three.  Not even close on that one.

Greg

I was mainly responding to the post that cited MavPuck.  But I heard fans at UNO games talking about getting Knights season tickets.  I saw UNO and Lancers  gear at Knights games.  I know a lot of Lancers fans and booster club members who went to Knights games.  And actually, almost everything I heard about the Knights in my daily life was positive.  

However, none of this anecdotal information we're talking about means anything one way or the other.  It's still just a fraction (maybe less than one percent) of UNO and Lancers fans.  But the fact that the Knights lost several million dollars in just two seasons tells me there were major issues beyond the opinions of some UNO fans.  They had an expensive product that Omahans were not willing to pay full price for; despite being partly-owned by a large philanthropic group.

Realistically, there just wasn't going to be a lot of serious crossover support for the three teams anyways.  Hockey season tickets are a big time and monetary commitment.  Fans are loyal too.  So had an AHL team come to Omaha in 1997, that would've been the top hockey draw, and UNO likely never goes D1 in hockey.

[cp jay 07]

I agree with Lancer fans going to Knights games, when you look at Jr. hockey it is more like professional hockey than college hockey is, the way its played and officiated are big parts of it. (And a reason I can't stand how the NCAA runs hockey)

I don't get why you think there cannot be crossover support between the teams? Let's say you have UNO season tickets, UNO is out of town for 3 weeks, the Knights have a games during that time but UNO fan won't go cause they are "competition"? I think 3 teams can work especially if MECA goes after a AHL to replace UNO as a tenant. You would then have 3 teams, each with an arena that fits them perfectly. Lancers with Ralston which is a perfectly sized Jr. rink, UNO with 7 thousand seats on campus for their die hards, and the Knights (better be something named Knights) at the CLink where they could draw the casual fan DT on a weekend night, plus I am sure they would be included in club seating packages so people who have club seats would get Knight tickets helping get the word out, plus you have the Suite owners who would get tickets as well.

When you have a city that has a professional hockey history like Omaha without a team it is very sad, back in the day Omaha saw some of the best talent around come through being in the CHL and I believe the professional USHL. I personaly would love to see all 3 teams thrive in Omaha and make it a hockey town again.

[cp jay 07]

When the Omaha AkSarBen Knights were in town from 2005-07, for some reason, people did not understand that it was one level below the NHL....I went to about 15 games the 2 years the Knights were here...I agree, they were on the upswing the second year.  I'd love to have this level of hockey in Omaha again.

I never bought into that excuse.  The people who attend hockey games in Omaha are pretty informed about the sport.  UNO and Lancers fans follow the careers of former players which often includes the NHL and  AHL.

People who don't know the level of AHL hockey probably aren't going to attend many hockey games anyways.  If the local hockey fans really were that ignorant to begin with, it's unlikely they remained that way as the Knights spent a small fortune on advertising.

Sorry to keep double posting here but I agree with Jag here. Quite a few people don't know the Lancers are basically high school kids and think they are professionals. I think they fact that the Knights played at the Civic, obviously a 2nd rate arena to most fans, didn't help people realize that Omaha had some great prospects playing in Omaha and these guys are going to get a call up some day.

The hockey in the AHL was fun to see up close, I think more people would have been hooked if they could have landed more casual sports fans who don't exactly know everything about hockey.

[twiztid1]

There's some crossover but not enough to support three teams.  It's just too expensive for a lot of people.  You invest $500+ for one set of tickets and then have to spend $40+ for just one game of the other teams'.  For three teams to survive you need to grow the entire hockey pie otherwise you're just taking from one slice to make another bigger.  

And given that hockey does not attract a lot of casual fans, I just don't see a lot of new hockey fans being created.  Omaha hockey crowds are not nearly as big as they were ten years ago.I think if the AHL comes to Omaha again, all three teams might have a better chance of surving.  UNO and the Lancers will be in better situations than the last time.  But nothing points to a new AHL team getting any better of a deal at the CenturyLink than UNO currently has which is high rent and fewer revenues. 

[S33]

Let me add a little perspective here: It's hockey...

(and I'm outta' here!)  :P

[MadMartin8]

After the debacle of the last AHL team in Omaha, I doubt we ever get another shot...which is a shame. If they had competent people running it, it could have been huge.

Yeah because two past AHL failures is better than one.  :roll:

Yeah because Des Moines has a Division I Hockey team that is quite popular like its USHL Team  :roll:



I could see Omaha going after one to fill the CLink after UNO is gone, but I highly doubt it. It'd be nice to see, though. Maybe CHL?

[bigredmed]

I never got the whole I a huge fan of one sport but I don't like watching some of the best talent around, I would rather watch college.

Can you honestly say the NFL is more entertaining than college?

I don't know if this is sarcasm or serious? I am hoping for sarcasm.

I personally think NCAA is way more exciting than NFL, thats just me though.

For football, the sport through high school is local.  It's your kid, your nephew, your friends' kids.

College is the great patriotic war between Nebraska and who ever.

The NFL is the one time I get to watch a game an appreciate the athletic effort for what it is and not give a bleep about the outcome.

For hockey, the NHL is faster and louder than NCAA.  The NCAA is cleaner in that they don't allow fights.   I really hate the disruptions for fights, especially when they are as legit as they are in the WWE.

I like the NCAA games as long as we don't have CCHA refs.   The Mavs played in both the old CCHA and the old WCHA.   Much better games once we moved.

Coach Blais told us at an event that we would get better officiating with the WCHA due to their structure.  

As long as we keep that with the new conference, the NCAA games should be solid.

If we go back to the CCHA level, dump your season tickets and never look back.

[HskrFanMike]

Calgary did a horrible job marketing their AHL product initially.  They came to town with the attitude that "we're the AHL, one step below the NHL, and that's all we have to do".  (Ask Martie Cordaro whether they would ever run a promotional campaign that proclaimed his team was just one step short of the major leagues, and leave it at that.  I suspect he'd just laugh at that idea.) They ran some ads that proclaimed that they had the "Best team, best venue, best fans."

Nothing like telling your audience that the teams that your customers had previously followed sucked.  And that you suck.  The natural reaction of most people is to get defensive when that happens. It should be no surprise that fans of the Mavs and Lancers reacted the way they did.

Could the AHL work in Omaha?  Yes, provided it's done right. Recognize that some hockey fans have developed an attachment with their current teams, and they aren't going to change their allegences quickly.  Keep in mind the dynamics of the pro roster are quite a bit different than amateur.  In the amateurs, players stick with a team for an entire year, if not longer.  (UNO, it's typically 3-4 years.)  In the pros, players come and go all the time, and you never really get to know players on a first name basis.

Ren Smith did a fine job at the tail end with the Knights.  He turned the franchise around, but Calgary is simply incompetent.   The organization then failed in the Quad Cities, and they've been struggling in Abbotsford in Canada ever since.

http://globalnews.ca/news/503342/abbots ... reak-down/

[bigredmed]

There was a lot of paranoia among Mav fans about the Knights. They were afraid that if too many fans turned to the Knights it would damage the Mavs.  Some of the real die hards were continually campaigning about anything negative they could come up with to get Mav fans to think negatively about the Knights.  I remember one poor soul trying to convince the fans that having the Knights in town would lead to more Mavs leaving early for the pros.

Greg

THIS IS SPOT ON. And the reason I cannot stand most UNO hockey fans. When the Knights were in town the UNO fans would brag on Mav Puck (Which is one of the worst hockey message boards around) about how the Knights only drew 3,500 on a Wednesday and UNO drew 5,000 at the Clink on a Saturday, HA you showed them UNO fan.

I think I even saw a thread comparing the players and who would win between the Lancers, Mavs, and Knights, because you know they are not different levels or anything. Seeing UNO fans chase another hockey team away was really sad to see, especially when the Knights and Mavs rarely went up against eachother at the Box Office and UNO only plays Friday, Saturday, the Knights filled those weekend nights when UNO was out of town or those weeknights when UNO didn't play. I'm sure OSU fans are chasing the Blue Jackets away in Columbus, I have never heard a hockey fan, especially in Omaha say "There is to much hockey in this town" apparently UNO fan thought so.

Lets hope Omaha can get another shot and not blow it this time, the more I look at the AHL the more I realize there could be growth to the west of the Mississippi to cater to the west coast teams who have to get their prospects from the east coast to the west coast just for a call up.

UNO fans did not chase a hockey team away.  A lack of fans and businesses willing to pay for tickets and sponsorships killed the Knights.  While I think MavPuck can be a little extreme at times, a messageboard is hardly representative of an entire fanbase.  You're talking about maybe 15-20  posters out of thousands of UNO season ticket holders.

Knights fans also trashed UNO and the Lancers online for being inferior to the AHL and labeled Omaha as ignorant, but that doesn't mean Knights fans were trying to end the other two teams.  I still see Knights jerseys occasionally at UNO and Lancers games.  And let's not forget it was the Knights organization who came in with the divisive attitude to begin with though they did back off that campaign.

I agree.  I used to post on MavPuck and still consider the Admin as a friend.  I don't post there because of the caustic nature of some of the posters.

The Mav fans didn't drive them away.   The Knights lost the market on ticket prices and days of the week when they were at home.  Their tickets were higher than even the Mavs (and they are too high to grow their market share), they played lots of Tuesday and Thursday games in a town to which  people intentionally move to raise kids.  These are what the professionals call "school nights" and games that last till 11 and cost $45 a seat mean that people who have kids don't go.   Set up your market on a basis of "We are better than everything else" and then charge a ton, and play on inconvenient nights, you had better be able to throw down, or else you are out.

Got a family member who used to work in the NHL, he was very pumped about this league coming to Omaha.  That lasted about half the first season.

The Knights were a non-performing sports asset in a town that doesn't like Hockey nearly as much as people think.  They went the way of the old KC-Omaha Kings.  But not because of MavPuck or Mav fans.

[Greg S]

There was a lot of paranoia among Mav fans about the Knights. They were afraid that if too many fans turned to the Knights it would damage the Mavs.  Some of the real die hards were continually campaigning about anything negative they could come up with to get Mav fans to think negatively about the Knights.  I remember one poor soul trying to convince the fans that having the Knights in town would lead to more Mavs leaving early for the pros.

Greg

THIS IS SPOT ON. And the reason I cannot stand most UNO hockey fans. When the Knights were in town the UNO fans would brag on Mav Puck (Which is one of the worst hockey message boards around) about how the Knights only drew 3,500 on a Wednesday and UNO drew 5,000 at the Clink on a Saturday, HA you showed them UNO fan.

I think I even saw a thread comparing the players and who would win between the Lancers, Mavs, and Knights, because you know they are not different levels or anything. Seeing UNO fans chase another hockey team away was really sad to see, especially when the Knights and Mavs rarely went up against eachother at the Box Office and UNO only plays Friday, Saturday, the Knights filled those weekend nights when UNO was out of town or those weeknights when UNO didn't play. I'm sure OSU fans are chasing the Blue Jackets away in Columbus, I have never heard a hockey fan, especially in Omaha say "There is to much hockey in this town" apparently UNO fan thought so.

Lets hope Omaha can get another shot and not blow it this time, the more I look at the AHL the more I realize there could be growth to the west of the Mississippi to cater to the west coast teams who have to get their prospects from the east coast to the west coast just for a call up.

UNO fans did not chase a hockey team away.  A lack of fans and businesses willing to pay for tickets and sponsorships killed the Knights.  While I think MavPuck can be a little extreme at times, a messageboard is hardly representative of an entire fanbase.  You're talking about maybe 15-20  posters out of thousands of UNO season ticket holders.

Knights fans also trashed UNO and the Lancers online for being inferior to the AHL and labeled Omaha as ignorant, but that doesn't mean Knights fans were trying to end the other two teams.  I still see Knights jerseys occasionally at UNO and Lancers games.  And let's not forget it was the Knights organization who came in with the divisive attitude to begin with though they did back off that campaign.

I agree.  I used to post on MavPuck and still consider the Admin as a friend.  I don't post there because of the caustic nature of some of the posters.

The Mav fans didn't drive them away.   The Knights lost the market on ticket prices and days of the week when they were at home.  Their tickets were higher than even the Mavs (and they are too high to grow their market share), they played lots of Tuesday and Thursday games in a town to which  people intentionally move to raise kids.  These are what the professionals call "school nights" and games that last till 11 and cost $45 a seat mean that people who have kids don't go.   Set up your market on a basis of "We are better than everything else" and then charge a ton, and play on inconvenient nights, you had better be able to throw down, or else you are out.

Got a family member who used to work in the NHL, he was very pumped about this league coming to Omaha.  That lasted about half the first season.

The Knights were a non-performing sports asset in a town that doesn't like Hockey nearly as much as people think.  They went the way of the old KC-Omaha Kings.  But not because of MavPuck or Mav fans.

Again, I was not referring to Mavpuck, I post on there all time (been with that crew going all the way back to the egroup/yahoogroup days).  I too consider Jon and Bridget as friends.

The initial GM did a horrible job.  If they had Ren Smith in there from the start or someone like Martie Cordero, I think they'd still be here.  They started off over priced but in year 2 they were more affordable for families than the Mavs and it was not even close.  I could take my son for less than what it costs me alone to sit in the worst seats at UNO games.....

I do think the whole we were "offended" by the best fans ads were somewhat bogus cries.  It was odd that the Knights did that considering they had not started playing games yet but really, as Mav fans we had our feelings hurt by that?  Really?  I think every team I am a fan of tells us we are the best fans.  I honestly never heard a single Lancer fan complain about it.

[Stargazer]

I had an argument with a woman, as she was buying Lancer tickets, in a grocery store back when the Knights were in town... she asked "why would anyone go to that, when we already have a 'professional' team in the Lancers"... this lady didn't even know, refused to believe when told, these were high school players.  I've since come to the realization, that there is a faction of people in this town, who know nothing about hockey, and go to Lancer games thinking it's the highest level of hockey in Omaha.

[RNcyanide]

I had an argument with a woman, as she was buying Lancer tickets, in a grocery store back when the Knights were in town... she asked "why would anyone go to that, when we already have a 'professional' team in the Lancers"... this lady didn't even know, refused to believe when told, these were high school players.  I've since come to the realization, that there is a faction of people in this town, who know nothing about hockey, and go to Lancer games thinking it's the highest level of hockey in Omaha.

How could we ever live without people like that.

[Linkin5]

I had an argument with a woman, as she was buying Lancer tickets, in a grocery store back when the Knights were in town... she asked "why would anyone go to that, when we already have a 'professional' team in the Lancers"... this lady didn't even know, refused to believe when told, these were high school players.  I've since come to the realization, that there is a faction of people in this town, who know nothing about hockey, and go to Lancer games thinking it's the highest level of hockey in Omaha.

Jesus Christ, you got into an arguement with a WOMAN over that?  Hardcore man.

[MadMartin8]

I had an argument with a woman, as she was buying Lancer tickets, in a grocery store back when the Knights were in town... she asked "why would anyone go to that, when we already have a 'professional' team in the Lancers"... this lady didn't even know, refused to believe when told, these were high school players.  I've since come to the realization, that there is a faction of people in this town, who know nothing about hockey, and go to Lancer games thinking it's the highest level of hockey in Omaha.

Well, |expletive|. There goes a good chunk of my faith in humanity.


Edit: You should have punched her in her ovaries.

[Big E]

Straight shot.  Right to the babymaker.

[Linkin5]

Straight shot.  Right to the babymaker.